The Demolition of Woodford Airfield Manchester has begun !

[eddywinch82]

And so it begins ! apparently according to Facebook At 5pm tonight, the most enormous demolition crane arrived at the Woodford main gates. Traffic was stopped in both directions whilst it manoeuvred through the gates. The caterpillar tracks were as tall as a person apparently. An absolute scandal disgusting ! an 91 year old airfield with a fantastic history and aviation heritage being turned into houses ! Should have been kept as an Airfield, a two day airshow there, and an Avro Museum with all the Aircraft made at Woodford on display. People have got to do something to halt this ! People particularly in the local area will regret it once its demolished ! Yet another airfield being lost to developers ! Im lost for Words !

[Slappywag]

I doubt that would even be required, the place is falling apart well enough under its own accord.

[Ray Purchase]

And so it begins ! apparently according to Facebook At 5pm tonight, the most enormous demolition crane arrived at the Woodford main gates. Traffic was stopped in both directions whilst it manoeuvred through the gates. The caterpillar tracks were as tall as a person apparently. An absolute scandal disgusting ! an 91 year old airfield with a fantastic history and aviation heritage being turned into houses ! Should have been kept as an Airfield, a two day airshow there, and an Avro Museum with all the Aircraft made at Woodford on display. People have got to do something to halt this ! People particularly in the local area will regret it once its demolished ! Yet another airfield being lost to developers ! Im lost for Words !

You're living in a fantasy world.

It's called progress.

[Maisie]

I'm sorry I'm all for saving anything aviation, but it's been disused for some time (4-5 years?), so to just get it back up and running with a museum and a two day airshow is just laughable.

Who is going to donate aircraft, pay for the buildings, up-keep, wages & organise the airshow?

[DerekF]

There isn't much point in getting upset about it now. The time to get upset and campaign was in the mid-2000s when it was clear that BAE did not want to retain Woodford beyond Nimrod anyway. Even if Nimrod had not been cancelled Woodford would have been closed by about now anyway.
I worked at Woodford from 1989 until 2012 but I would rather see it demolished and developed than being run down and falling apart as it is now. Ideally I would rather see it returned to farmland as it was 90 years ago but the area is short of affordable houses so houses it must be.

[eddywinch82]

What gets me is why is this new company who has bought the Woodford site not sure of the name, are destroying the heritage of Woodford Aerodrome, the runway ect. Pity that the site could not have been part of the Imperial War Museum, as it certainly should have been, with it being a site that produced aircraft for the wars, and if thought about, it could have been a vital airfield too. Not just for airshows, but for civil and private landing, but also visiting aircraft to the museum, perhaps a new home for Avro Vulcan XH558 when she retires. Woodford so easily could be made into a Duxford of the north bringing tourism and business into the area, possibly even linking up with the Manchester Science and Industry Museum, if a little bit of thought were put into it, what is happening to the site is very short sited.

[Maisie]

Where does the money come from though?

[DerekF]

BAE Systems sold Woodford site for £100 million. What museum was going to be able to afford that?

[Andover]

Aren't they going to establish an Avro heritage building though? Surely that's better than nothing.

[eddywinch82]

I know things couldn't happen overnight it would take a quite a while. Money could be invested by the local government and hopefully an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, would be successful I think, if a strong case were put forward by the Local Government and people in the area. Also volunteers could be sourced perhaps engineers and other people who worked at Woodford and lost there jobs due to the Cancellation of the Nimrod MR4 Project or simply retired there after many years service. I'm sure many would be able due to skills obtained, and want to restore Planes made at Woodford over the years to go in an Avro Museum. Bae Airliners are in Plentiful Supply and could be flown to Woodford to go in there. The Factory Sheds could be made into Restoration Hangers. Anyway the House building and demolition is going to go ahead now, so its too late to change what will be so I will have to accept it (( . I was reading on Facebook that Eric Pickles MP has given the Green Light to Build 1000 houses on the Site. At least Barton Aerodrome another Historic Airfield in Manchester dating from 1928 I believe, is still open and I have a feeling may once again i.e. gradually hold an full blown Airshow if it remains open. Last year they had a mini display, with a small number of flying items at the Family Fun Day in July for the first time in many years.

[eddywinch82]

Yes there is going to be an Avro Heritage Building established on the site, so
at least that's something positive to come out of all this. And I agree DerekF,
that Leaving the Airfield in Disrepair is worse than any Redevelopment of the site. And Vulcan XM603
is going to be saved and put on display I believe, although it might need some external restoration work though. As it has been outside for many Years.

[flashman8]

at least XM603 is going to have a home, with a bit of cleaning up she will look good.......................

[ppgstf]

Pardon me if I don't shed any tears.

I'll always remember the support (NOT) those Northern Scumbags gave the workers at Hatfield just before it closed, couldn't wait to get the 146 production line.

What goes around comes around.

[jaymer15]

Whats happening at Woodford is a carbon copy of what is happening at Filton airfield. I know once Filton has houses all over it, people will regret the day it closed. The whole area will be grid locked and the chance to develop it into a viable airport will be missed.

[Slappywag]

the chance to develop it into a viable airport will be missed.

When there's already very established airports just a few miles away in both examples?

[jaymer15]

the chance to develop it into a viable airport will be missed.

When there's already very established airports just a few miles away in both examples?

Filton has a longer runway and is in much better location for roads and motorways. It also has a railway running though it too.

[Binbrook 01]

Well it joins a list of over 600 other airfield that have gone down the tubes since the end of the war....


Its called life, progress and so on....we might care, but the vast majority on the rock we live on thinks of only ££££££

Tim

[Slappywag]

Filton has a longer runway and is in much better location for roads and motorways. It also has a railway running though it too.

Perhaps. But I see zero credibility in shipping an established international airport a few miles across town. Let alone the eye watering costs and inconveniences associated with such a hypothetical circumstance.

Alas, we digress.

[DerekF]

Pardon me if I don't shed any tears.

I'll always remember the support (NOT) those Northern Scumbags gave the workers at Hatfield just before it closed, couldn't wait to get the 146 production line.

What goes around comes around.

It was a long time ago but it seems some grudges are felt very deeply. As I remember, at Hatfield we were told that there would be a second production line opening at Woodford to cope with the demand for the aircraft ( ). A reasonable number of us were relocated to Woodford a little while later and must have been after that 1991 ish that it was decided to close Hatfield. I'm not sure what Woodford employees could have done as many were ex-Hatfield like myself.

[harkins]

Pardon me if I don't shed any tears.

I'll always remember the support (NOT) those Northern Scumbags gave the workers at Hatfield just before it closed, couldn't wait to get the 146 production line.

What goes around comes around.

Blimey, those 'northern scumbags' always getting the better of the south east in employment issues.

Regarding the redevelopment of Woodford; it's about time it was put to some use as it's a long long time since we came to terms with it's closure. The sad thing is that the homes that will be built on it will almost certainly not be affordable to first time buyers and young couples.

[farnboroughrob]

Although Manchester and the north could really do with a 'Duxford', and this would have been a ideal site, there is just not the money and interest to do it. Old aerodromes are a big draw for councils and developers to build on. Even a large grass airfield with only a few hangars is considered a brown field site.
There are hardly WW2 era aircraft factories that are preserved, or even in working condition that I can think of? Hatfield, Kingston, Radlett, South Marston, and Woodley all gone. Hucknall and Filton will soon be no more. Is there anything left at Castle Bromich or any of the current BAE sites. It is a sad state of affairs but as somebody else said it is progress.

[ericbee123]

Although Manchester and the north could really do with a 'Duxford', and this would have been a ideal site, there is just not the money and interest to do it. Old aerodromes are a big draw for councils and developers to build on. Even a large grass airfield with only a few hangars is considered a brown field site.
There are hardly WW2 era aircraft factories that are preserved, or even in working condition that I can think of? Hatfield, Kingston, Radlett, South Marston, and Woodley all gone. Hucknall and Filton will soon be no more. Is there anything left at Castle Bromich or any of the current BAE sites. It is a sad state of affairs but as somebody else said it is progress.

I believe that the WW2 Wellington Bomber construction sheds at Blackpool Airport are the ones still on Squires Gate Lane, they have been used by TI Bainbridge Silencers, Chiswick Silencers, Battle Silencers and other manufacturing since the 40's. Many of the Hangars and the Control tower at Squires Gate are from WW2 too.
Blackpool Zoo also uses a 1920's control tower, Art Deco club house and some of the hangars -- for the Elephant house and offices.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Pa ... ackpool%29

Sad about Woodford, but isn't it a bit too 'on the Manchester Airport flightpath' to be useful as an active airfield these days ? If you want a Northern Duxford -- try for Blackpool -- WW2 Stuff on site, massive WW2 history (Blackpool's WW2 Efforts Clicky), long runway, outside controlled airspace, in need of new tourism stuff, motorway (with a dual carriage way all the way from it to the airport) and rail directly to it.

[LightningMk6]

Sad to hear that Woodford is being demolished but remember it well, when on a visit during the Nimrod AEW build, I was one of the airmen who volunteered to work on this new kite. Fond recollections of seeing the aircraft internals all laid out on dexion shelving and systems tested, it was quite amazing how it was all built. I guess the upkeep of the building etc., outweighed the need to keep it open.

[rob68]

Thread drift but if anyone wants to save an airfield with a Vulcan before its to late look at Wellesbourne

[flashman8]

Thread drift but if anyone wants to save an airfield with a Vulcan before its to late look at Wellesbourne

it should be made part of the deal of the sale, they pay for XM655 to be moved to a new location, if they wont do that, then no sale..........